Chapter 15: Troubleshooting

This chapter covers general troubleshooting steps to explore if you experience the unexpected while working with Helix Universal Proxy.

Overview

If you encounter problems when running Helix Universal Proxy, you can narrow down the problem with the following tasks:

• Determine scope of the problem—is the problem with clients connecting to Helix Universal Proxy, or with Helix Universal Proxy connecting to the origin Helix Universal Server?
• Check the error logs—messages in the error log file (or files, if you've set up log file rolling) will direct you to the problem. For instructions on how to interpret the log file formats, see "Error Log".

General Troubleshooting Steps

These steps are good ones to check whenever you have trouble with any Helix Universal Proxy features.

Step 1: Make sure Helix Universal Proxy is running.

When you started Helix Universal Proxy, were there any error messages? If so, look up the message in the index of this document.

I can't start Helix Universal Proxy at all.

There are several possible causes of Helix Universal Proxy not starting:

• If you are running Windows NT, Helix Universal Proxy is automatically installed as a service, which means that it runs automatically. If it is installed as a service, and you try to start Helix Universal Proxy using any other method, it appears not to start. An error message may appear. To find out if it is already running, click Start>Settings>Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Services and look for Helix Proxy in the list; the word "Started" in the Status field indicates that it's running.
• If you are running UNIX, make sure you are logged on with the correct user name. Helix Universal Proxy requires the use of port 554, and you must be logged on as root in order to access this port. The error message "Could not open port 554" appears on screen when you try to start.
• Your license may have expired, or the license file may have become corrupted. Messages such as the following will indicate this problem.

"Error - RTSP proxy not licensed for use. Either no license key exists, or the license key present is invalid."

"Error - PNA proxy not licensed for use. Either no license key exists, or the license key present is invalid."

• The error message "Could not open port 7070" indicates that either other software is using the port, or Helix Universal Proxy could not bind to the necessary address. See the next item for instructions on binding to a particular address.
• You may need to bind Helix Universal Proxy to a specific IP address. This is often the case when you receive the error message "Server not responding properly: Heartbeat check disabled". (Heartbeat check is a self-monitoring feature which ensures that the RTSP port is available.) See "Binding to a Specific IP Address".
• Helix Universal Proxy may be bound to an address that doesn't exist. Using the information in "Binding to a Specific IP Address", either delete the IPBindings section, or change it to use the single 0.0.0.0 address.

Binding to a Specific IP Address

To bind to an IP address, open the configuration file in a text editor. If this is a new installation of Helix Universal Proxy, and the configuration file has not been customized, you will need to add the following text to the configuration file. The configuration file is named rmproxy.cfg, and is located in the Helix Universal Proxy main directory. Add this text to the end of the file:

<List Name="IPBindings">
 <Var Address_01="0.0.0.0"/>
</List>

The address 0.0.0.0 binds Helix Universal Proxy to all IP addresses available on this machine. You can substitute the machine's actual address, instead. Note that if you bind to an actual address, you must also bind to the loopback address (127.0.0.1).

Determining the IP Address of Your Computer

Use the appropriate method for your operating system:

• Windows NT—Click Start>Run. In the Run dialog type cmd, then click OK. At the prompt that appears, type ipconfig.
• UNIX—Most UNIX platforms will report the IP address if you use the command ipconfig.

When I click the Helix Universal Proxy icon, the command window appears briefly but then disappears.

Rather than remaining visible, the window closes if Helix Universal Proxy encounters an error. Use the following steps to find out what the error is:

1. Open a command prompt.
2. Move to the Bin directory.
3. Start Helix Universal Proxy by typing

Bin\rmproxy rmproxy.cfg

Helix Universal Proxy will attempt to start, and any error messages will appear on screen. The most frequent causes of this type of problem are an expired license or conflicting port use.

Also, compare your system date to the Issue and Expire date shown on the About page of Helix Administrator, and make sure your system date is accurate.

Helix Universal Proxy is running, but many features have stopped working.

If your license files have expired, Helix Universal Proxy runs with minimal settings. See "License File Information" for a list of the features that are always available. Contact RealNetworks or your reseller to purchase an updated license.

Look in the error log for messages.

Helix Universal Proxy's error log (a text file named proxyerr.log or proxyerr, and located in the Logs directory) may contain a message describing the nature of the problem.

Step 2: Follow the network routing.

If there are any obstacles in the route that RealNetworks system packets take as they move through the network, Helix Universal Proxy may not be able to contact other RealNetworks system components, such as RealPlayers and Helix Universal Servers.

There are two general areas to check:

• Whether Helix Universal Proxy can receive from the origin Helix Universal Server
• Whether a client can receive content from Helix Universal Proxy

Helix Universal Proxy-to-Helix Universal Server Connections

Before investigating any client-to-Helix Universal Proxy issues, be sure the Helix Universal Proxy-to-Helix Universal Server connections are working properly.

Problems may be related to:

• The Helix Universal Server acting as the origin transmitter is no longer broadcasting or is unable to broadcast any clip.
• The administrator of the origin Helix Universal Server has disabled access to all Helix Universal Proxys, or has blocked access of your Helix Universal Proxy in particular.
• The Helix Universal Server acting as the origin transmitter is incorrectly configured for pull splitting.
• A firewall is blocking access. See Chapter 6, "Firewalls" for more information.

On the Helix Universal Proxy machine, use the method described in "Using TELNET to Test Connections" to ensure that the connection between Helix Universal Proxy and Helix Universal Server is clear.

Client-to-Helix Universal Proxy Connections

• Make sure clients are able to connect to Helix Universal Proxy.
• Make certain there aren't any access control rules on Helix Universal Proxy that prohibit the client from receiving any broadcast or stream.
• If Helix Universal Proxy is using multicast to distribute the stream inside the network, look for multicast user list rules that insist that the client receive the broadcast in multicast mode. If the client is not configured for multicast reception, it will not be able to receive the broadcast. See Chapter 8, "Multicasting" for more information.

On the Helix Universal Proxy machine, use the method described in "Using TELNET to Test Connections" to ensure that the connection between the client and Helix Universal Proxy is clear.

Using TELNET to Test Connections

Instructions in this section describe how to use the TELNET program to determine whether a TCP connection exists between two computers. This information is often the first step in figuring out where the problem lies.

If the TELNET program is able to make a successful connection between computers, the problem is not a routing one. Use the troubleshooting guidelines in this chapter to work out a solution.

If the program is not able to make a successful connection, the problem is either a simple configuration issue on the other computer, or it may be a network routing problem.

To use TELNET to test connections between the client and Helix Universal Proxy:

1. Open a TELNET session.
2. At the telnet> prompt, type the following command:

telnet>open proxy.example.com port

where:

proxy.example.com is the name of the machine on which Helix Universal Proxy is running

port is either of the ports below:

Port Numbers for Client-to-Helix Universal Proxy Connections

Port	Purpose
554	RTSP proxy requests
1090	PNA proxy requests

3. The response indicates your next step.

   Telnet Information for Client-to-Helix Universal Proxy Connections

   TELNET Response	Significance
   Trying 172.23.16.123... Connected to helixserver.example.com. Escape character is `^'.	Helix Universal Proxy is listening on the port you specified. Use troubleshooting steps in this chapter.
   Trying 172.23.16.123... telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection refused	Helix Universal Proxy is not listening on the port specified. Access control rules may be in effect. Or, Helix Universal Proxy may not be binding properly to its addresses.
   Trying 172.23.16.123... telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: No route to host	Helix Universal Proxy's host computer is unreachable. Make sure there is a network connection to the Helix Universal Proxy.
   helixserver.example.com: Unknown host or helixserver.example.com: Host name lookup failure	The other computer does not exist, or the host name cannot be resolved by the local DNS server.

To use TELNET to test connections between Helix Universal Proxy and the origin Helix Universal Server:

1. Open a TELNET session.
2. At the telnet> prompt, type the following command:

telnet>open server.example.com port

where:

server.example.com is the name of the machine on which Helix Universal Server is running

port is the number of the port number you are testing.

Port Numbers for Helix Universal Proxy-to-Helix Universal Server Connections

Port	Purpose
554	Control channel for RTSP requests (data channel also, if TCP was requested)
3030	Data channel for pull splitting requests
7070	Control channel for PNA requests (data channel also, if TCP was requested)
7878	Helix Universal Proxy requests for data by the cache to Helix Universal Server(Used with RealSystem Proxy version 8.02 and earlier.)
1755	Helix Universal Proxy listens for MMS requests (for live or on-demand Windows Media clips)

3. The response indicates your next step.

   Telnet Information for Helix Universal Proxy-to-Helix Universal Server Connections

   TELNET Response	Significance
   Trying 172.23.16.123... Connected to host.domain. Escape character is `^'.	The origin server is listening on the port you specified. Use troubleshooting steps in this chapter.
   Trying 172.23.16.123... telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: Connection refused	The origin Helix Universal Server is not listening on the port specified. Access control rules may be in effect. Or, the origin server may not be binding properly to its addresses.
   Trying 172.23.16.123... telnet: Unable to connect to remote host: No route to host	The origin Helix Universal Server is unreachable.
   host.domain: Unknown host or host.domain: Host name lookup failure	Either you are typing an incorrect address, or the origin server does not exist.

Step 3: Ensure that clients are configured correctly.

Be sure that client software is configured to connect to Helix Universal Proxy. Refer to Chapter 5, "Client Configuration".

Step 4: Check remaining areas.

Read further in this chapter for help with specific features.

• Is the Helix Universal Proxy host machine address correctly configured in the network routers? If the client cannot access Helix Universal Proxy over the network, then you cannot expect media to play. Configuring IP address and routers is a complex issue. Contact a networking specialist for help.
• Is there a firewall between the client and Helix Universal Proxy? Firewalls must be configured to permit media to play through them. See Chapter 6, "Firewalls".
• Is there a parent Helix Universal Proxy in use? If it is misconfigured, all clients may have difficulty receiving streams. Make sure the parent Helix Universal Proxy can make the necessary connections to the Helix Universal Server. See Chapter 7, "Proxy Routing and Redundant Proxies".

Step 5: Work with your system or network administrator.

Others in your organization may have information you need, such as available port numbers, or information on bandwidth restrictions.

Troubleshooting Helix Administrator

How do I figure out which port number to use for Helix Administrator?

1. Using a text editor, open the configuration file, which is named rmproxy.cfg and is located in the main Helix Universal Proxy directory, and search the file for AdminPort.
2. You will find an entry similar to the following (your port number will be different):

<Var AdminPort="7845"/>

Make a note of the number.

3. In your Web browser, type the following, substituting your computer's IP address for address and the number you found for AdminPort in the previous step:

http://address:AdminPort/admin/index.html

4. Helix Administrator asks you for your user name and password. Type these and click OK.

Helix Administrator appears.

How do I look up my user name and password?

When you install Helix Universal Proxy, the setup program asks you for a user name and a password. It uses these for Helix Administrator and for any content creators who use G2 encoding software to send material to your Helix Universal Proxy.

If you can't remember your password, you must reinstall Helix Universal Proxy, or contact RealNetworks Technical Support department (see "Contacting RealNetworks Technical Support").

I can't start Helix Administrator.

• Make sure Helix Universal Proxy is running. Helix Administrator cannot start if Helix Universal Proxy is not running.
• You may need to add an IP Bindings section. Refer to "Binding to a Specific IP Address".
• Be certain you are using the name of the machine that's running Helix Universal Proxy in the URL. Do not use a NetBIOS name; use the host name or the IP address, instead.
• Use a newer browser version. The latest version of your Web browser is recommended for browsing Helix Administrator.
• If it was running before, and you have recently created new access control rules, you may have locked yourself out of the administrator. You will need to create a new rule, by editing the configuration file, that allows access to Helix Administrator. See "Access Rule Methods" for an explanation of the necessary rules.

I receive Javascript errors.

Javascript errors are usually due to an older browser version or the wrong version of RealSystem Proxy or Helix Universal Proxy for your operating system. Helix Administrator is designed to run with later versions of your Web browser.

For More Information: Refer to the release notes for the latest information about Web browsers Helix Universal Proxy supports at: http://www.realnetworks.com/resources/contentdelivery/ gateway/release_notes.html

Troubleshooting Pull Splitting

Steps involved in troubleshooting pull splitting fall into two general areas:

• Whether Helix Universal Proxy can receive from the origin Helix Universal Server
• Whether a client can receive a split stream from Helix Universal Proxy

If pull splitting is disabled on the Helix Universal Server acting as the origin transmitter, your Helix Universal Proxy will not be able to serve the clip via pull splitting. It will use pass-through mode for that clip.

Origin Transmitter-to-Helix Universal Proxy Connections

Before investigating any Helix Universal Proxy-to-client issues, be sure the origin transmitter-to-Helix Universal Proxy connections are working properly.

Problems with splitting may be related to:

• The Helix Universal Server acting as the origin transmitter is no longer broadcasting or is unable to broadcast any clip.
• The person administrating Helix Universal Server has disabled pull splitting. This is unlikely, and the feature is enabled by default.
• Helix Universal Server has blocked your Helix Universal Proxy's access.

You can test the connection by connecting a client to the origin transmitter to make sure the clip exists and is being broadcasted; use a client from a machine that is not routed through Helix Universal Proxy.

Helix Universal Proxy-to-Client Connections

Make sure that Helix Universal Proxy can receive a regular unicast from the origin Helix Universal Server. If unicasting is not working, splitting will not work, either.

Make certain there aren't any access control rules on Helix Universal Proxy that prohibit the client from receiving any broadcast or stream.

If Helix Universal Proxy is using multicast to distribute the split broadcast inside the network, look for multicast user list rules that insist that the client receive the broadcast in multicast mode. If the client is not configured for multicast reception, it will not be able to receive the broadcast.

Messages that contain the phrase "bit save" refer to pull splitting.

• "Warning - No split mount point has been defined. Bit save playback will not be supported."
• "Warning - RTSP proxy discarding message from server, data playback occurring from live splitter."
• "Warning - RTSP proxy is detecting redundant splitter challenges."

Troubleshooting Multicasting

Before setting up back-channel multicasting, two conditions must exist:

• Helix Universal Proxy must be licensed for back-channel multicasting
• The network must be set up for back-channel multicasting

If these two conditions have been met, use the following information to troubleshoot this feature.

Steps in troubleshooting back-channel multicasting fall into two areas:

• Running the multicast on Helix Universal Proxy
• Connecting to the multicast with a client

Checking Helix Universal Proxy

The following error messages, appearing in the error log, indicate either that you have configured a back-channel multicast in Helix Administrator with Multicast Delivery Only set to Yes (DeliveryOnly=True in the configuration file):

• "Multicast delivery only"
• "This server is configured to support only multicast connections. Please contact the content provider for more information on listening to this broadcast."

The message "Error in creating Back-channel multicast session. Please increase the AddressRange configuration variable." indicates that Helix Universal Proxy needs more multicast addresses in order to broadcast in back-channel multicast mode. In Helix Administrator, use a larger range in the IP Address Range boxes.

Special Issues with the Configuration File

If you configure back-channel multicast by editing the configuration file directly, you may inadvertently omit required sections. Without a ControlList section, multicasting will not work. Use Helix Administrator to set up the Client Access Rules.Optionally, add a ControlList section manually to the configuration file. Make sure to use the multicasting tags found in the multicasting chapter of Helix Universal Proxy Configuration File Reference.

• "Back-channel multicast is enabled and the control list is empty. No clients will receive multicast. Please add a control list."

If you make changes to the multicasting section of the configuration file, and you make those changes incorrectly, the following error messages may appear in the error log:

• "Warning - Proxy detects that the multicast address range provided is invalid. Check the configuration file."
• "Warning - Proxy cannot determine the IP multicast address range. Check the configuration for proper entry and/or syntax."

Use Helix Administrator to configure multicasting. You may need to check with your network administrator to find out the correct address range to use for your network.

Connecting with the Client

Try to play the clip from the same system on which Helix Universal Proxy is installed.

Problems with multicasting may be related to:

• The network or the client is not multicast-enabled.
• Access control rules prohibit client from receiving any broadcast or stream.
• Multicast user list rules insist that the client receive the broadcast in multicast mode, and the client is not configured for multicast reception.

Troubleshooting Access Control

In addition to the required rules, make sure you have at least three rules, so that you can continue to connect to Helix Administrator, as described in "Access Rule Methods" .

The first rule to create is always the rule that allows you to access Helix Administrator! If you create another rule first, and lock yourself out of Helix Administrator, you will need to edit the configuration file, remove the rule manually, and then restart Helix Universal Proxy. Refer to the access control chapter of Helix Universal Proxy Configuration File Reference.

If you receive the message, "Invalid player IP Address", it is because this Helix Universal Proxy is configured with access rules that prevent clients from certain IP addresses from playing content. The client that tried to request content is excluded via access rules. Access rules are described in Chapter 10, "Access Control".

Troubleshooting Caching

Factors that can affect caching are discussed below.

Cache setting in the Configuration File

If you edit the configuration file directly to configure this feature, you risk accidentally deleting a key section. If you delete the cache mount point information, the following error message appears:

• "Warning - Proxy can not find the cache mount point. Proxy will fall to pass-through."

RealNetworks recommends setting up the cache information using Helix Administrator.

Issues related to Helix Universal Proxy

• Make sure that caching is enabled in Helix Universal Proxy. At the time of installation, caching is turned on by default, however if you've made changes to the configuration, check to see if caching is still turned on. In Helix Administrator, navigate to Proxy Setting>Cache. Enable Caching should be Yes.

Issues related to Helix Universal Server

The configuration of anorigin Helix Universal Server can cause Helix Universal Proxy to deliver files by pass-through instead of from cache, for the following reasons:

• When Helix Universal Server disallows caching of its content.
• When Helix Universal Server encrypts media files, hiding bit information.
• When Helix Universal Server is using a plug-in not included in Helix Universal Proxy's installation. RealNetworks system has an SDK product that third-party developers can use to create plug-ins that Helix Universal Server and Helix Universal Proxy use to deliver media in custom data formats.
• When Helix Universal Proxy is trying to connect to a legacy RealSystem Server that does not support cache acquisition. (RealSystem Server 5.0 & earlier)
• When Helix Universal Proxy is trying to connect to a RealSystem Server (version 6.0 - 8.0) on the cache port, but is restricted by either a firewall or network issue.

Troubleshooting Proxy Routing

This feature is described in Chapter 7, "Proxy Routing and Redundant Proxies".

Make certain that only the child Helix Universal Proxy has been configured. The parent Helix Universal Proxy receives the child's requests automatically, and requires no settings to do this. If the parent has been configured to send its requests to another Helix Universal Proxy, and no such Helix Universal Proxy is available, clients will display error messages.

If only some requests are being honored, and you have checked that the parent Helix Universal Proxy has not been configured at all, make sure the child's list of rules includes a broad rule that handles all requests not specified in the other rules.

Contacting RealNetworks Technical Support

If you have followed the troubleshooting tips in this chapter and have not been able to solve the problem, check the RealNetworks Knowledge Base for help. The Knowledge Base contains solutions to problems not covered here:

• http://service.real.com/kb/default.htm

For technical support with RealNetworks products, please fill out the form at:

• http://service.real.com/contact/email.htm

The information you provide in this form will help technical support personnel to give you a prompt response. For general information about RealNetworks' technical support, visit:

• http://service.real.com/help/call.html

Information Needed by the RealNetworks Technical Support Department

In addition to asking for a detailed description of the problem you are experiencing, support technicians will want to know the information shown in the following form.

Note: Space for noting information about Helix Universal Server is included for those customers who are also running Helix Universal Server on their networks.

For More Information: Refer to "Determining the Helix Universal Proxy Version" for details.

Determining the Helix Universal Proxy Version

There are two methods for finding the exact version of Helix Universal Proxy you are running.

To determine the version of Helix Universal Proxy (at a command prompt):

At a command prompt, navigate to the Bin directory, and type the following:

rmproxy -v

The version number appears, in the form 9.x.x.xxx, where x varies according to your operating system.

To determine the version of Helix Universal Proxy (through Helix Administrator):

In Helix Administrator, click About.

A new browser window appears, with information about your proxy.

The version number can vary according to the operating system you use. If you are contacting the RealNetworks Technical Support department for assistance, it is important that they know the exact version you have.

Note: If you are also using a Helix Universal Server, these same steps can be used to determine the version of Helix Universal Server.

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